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Faerûn
Faerûn is a fictional subcontinent, the primary setting of the Dungeons & Dragons world of Forgotten Realms. Note that since it was once simply the city of Baldur's Gate, most of the history and background will focus on that city, up until Icewind Dale's merge with the city. Baldur's Gate is a city currently rebuilding from the Infected Invasion, located on a river at the coast. As the center of both land and sea routes, it was once a gleaming metropolis. Shades of its former beauty are slowly returning. Background Originally, Baldur's Gate was a city without a name. However, when the hero Balduran arrived and funded the building of its majestic walls and titular gate, they renamed it in his honor. This is why calling the natives 'Baldurans' instead of 'Baldurians' can get you killed. It was originally 'ruled' by a society of overtaxing farmers, but it was taken over by four ship captains irritated at the high prices. It prospered as a mercantile hub, due to its location. It was later kept safe by an unknown force through the Spellplague, though during that time its leadership did change to a band of mercenaries called the Flaming Fist. Some time later, zombies came and destroyed all forms of government, along with parts of the city. Multiverse Timeline Baldur's Gate was a wealthy port metropolis, with over 42,000 inhabitants (although that almost doubles in the summer months) and an important merchant city on the Sword Coast. Its strong Watch and the presence of the powerful Flaming Fist mercenary company kept the city generally peaceful and safe. The city was hit by the Infected and has only partially recovered. Members of the Noblesse Oblige disbanded the thieves guild and gave all of their loot to the towns people. This had a mixed result that literally divided the town in two. Inflation raised the price of common goods, such that the only people who lived near the southern port and had a means of making an income so soon after the Infected Invasions were able to keep up. For those in the northern side of the city, they were unable to afford rebuilding and food for their families, and the area became a ghetto. After gaining control of a mansion that was one of the last places of influence in the ghetto, the Lords of Midnight made enough of a foothold to control the area. After the Terra Stabilization Arc, Faerûn and Icewind Dale were consolidated. After discovering a temple inside Mount Hotenow, the guild known as the Eternal Archivists stumbled across a potential threat to the stability of northern Faerûn. A group of adventurers collected from the Multiverse is now offering their assistance with the matter. Regions Sword Coast The Sword coast is a large swathe of land stretching from Baldur's Gate all the way to the borders of Neverwinter. The region is considered by many to be the main area of civilization and the massive city of Waterdeep is its crown jewel. Booming in trade and resources, the area is both prosperous and volatile thanks to the constant struggle between the many towns and cities. Despite being rather civilized, by Faerun standards, the landscape is still dotted with old abandoned ruins and crumbling castles dating back thousands of years. And while the cities do patrol the area outside their walls, the areas between them are often rife with bandits, orcs, and other dangers. The Infected Invasion hit this region the hardest of all and many towns were simply wiped off the map. Baldur's Gate nearly suffered that fate, but was slowly put back together with the help of the Noblesse Oblige. However, the Oblige turned its attention to Icewind Dale and left the city to fall to corruption and crime. Seeing an opportunity, Baby Bonnie Hood moved in and started a social experiment. She tried to convince the citizens that their old gods had abandoned them and that the Lords would bring them the peace and safety the old gods had failed to provide. With so many dead from the Infected and the survivors beyond disillusioned, she found the citizens rather receptive to her message. The message has spread a great deal since then, along with Lord troops. Even Waterdeep has had a few of their temples ransacked and attacked by people agree with the gods refusing their calls for aid. Many of the original Lords of Waterdeep are now unwilling to try and stop such actions, fearful they may earn the ire of the Lords. In fact, the city is now, in practice, a Lord held territory. Most of the cities on the Sword Coast now fly the Lords banner alongside their own and it is not uncommon for their troops to be patrolling roads and city walls. Most temples to the old gods are now either abandoned or burnt to the ground. High Forest and Silver Marches A wild and untamed wood said to contain the Grandfather Tree. Many mysteries and rumors surround the High Forest. Some say it is cursed and will cast down any who dare to tame it. Others that it is a blessed place where all things are striped down to their simplest forms, survive or die. However one views the place, it is still very dangerous. Dotted with old abandoned towns, crumbling dungeons, and slowly vanishing ruins, many strange and powerful treasures have been found by brave adventures. However, those are the lucky few as most simply vanish into the massive woods, never to be seen or heard from again... The Infected, oddly, seemed to fair no better with much of their forces simply vanishing into the woods. Thanks to its general lack of any real resources, save trees and ruins, the Lords have mostly ignored the forest. North of the High Forest, the Silver Marches are a relatively new area to be civilized. Ruled by a very loose confederation of frontier towns, the area is a place where human, dwarves, and elves have aligned to protect one another. From the capital city of Silverymoon, called the Gem of the North, the confederation defends itself from all threats. Thanks to its trade in rare metals, dwarven craftsmanship, and elven craftsmanship, the Silver Marches are quite wealthy. Even so, the "nation" has been built upon ones that came before and the area is littered with old ruins to be explored. Icewind Dale Hard, cold, and isolated are the hallmarks of Icewind Dale. Here snow is a year round threat and winter can devastate what few towns are here. Still, people make their lives here, taming the rugged landscape and planting what crops they can. Of those few towns, the Ten Towns, now eleven with the castle built by the Noblesse Oblige, are the most well known. Still, they are smaller settlements and are still small when compared to towns elsewhere. Outside the towns, ruins and old abandoned towns litter the area. Many have tried to tame this land and failed. These old crumbling structures, slowly being buried in the snow, are all that remain to their failure. It would be no surprise if danger - both in the form of the harsh climate and monsters - is to be found in these ruins. The area was hit just as hard as the rest of Faerun by the Infected Invasion. The Noblesse Oblige, however, were able to drive them and one of their generals, known only as Mind, from the area. They returned and helped the cities here rebuild thus gaining their trust and control of the region, even going so far as to establish an eleventh town which surrounds their newest fortress. Neverwinter The city of Neverwinter is the last great city of the North. Or so those there would say, though the city of Luskan may disagree. Sitting just at the edge of the Sword Coast, Neverwinter has a long and storied history full of trails and near annihilation. Despite this, the city has proven resilient beyond measure and seems capable of recovering from nearly any ordeal. Lead by the famous Lord Nashor, the city is perhaps the closest thing to a rival Waterdeep has along the coast. The Infected Invasion took a toll here as it did everywhere. However, like always, Neverwinter has recovered from it with surprising speed. Already the walls are nearly rebuilt and much of the town is back to bustling full of trade. Still, the Lords takeover of the Sword Coast has given the city reason to fear. Rather than risk having to fight a war while his city still recovers, Lord Nasher has agreed to a Non-aggression pact with the Lords. The Underdark Buried under Faerun is a cave system that is a world unto itself. Running along the entire length of Faerun, The Underdark is a place of great riches, wonders, and evil. Ruled by foul and cursed races, such as the Drow and Mind Flayers, the Underdark is a brutal and unforgiving place. Those few who dare to journey into its darkness are rarely seen again. And those that are are never truly the same. While still, technically, a part of Faerun, the Underdark is so massive and so very different that the land above that most consider it a separate world. Indeed, where as above the Shy Guys have gained some small footholds, the Underdark has had almost no contact with them. Those few agents that have tried to meet with the Drow have either simply vanished or come back empty handed. The few other, intelligent, races in the Underdark have proven just as unwelcoming and the Shyguys have abandoned all plans to expand into its bowels. It is rumored that at least one Drow kingdom has been contacted by the Phoenixes, and so now the faction has some influence in the region. Oddly, rumors of Drow wielding advanced weapons has began to filter up to the surface. While most were described to be weapons used by an unaffiliated group, others have described suits and weapons very similar to known Phoenix equipment. Investigations into these reports have been inconclusive. Inhabitants Flaming Fist: A group of mercenaries who serve as part of the city's police force. During the Infected Invasion, they attempted to enforce a quarantine on the city, but were overwhelmed by both the Infected themselves and people frantic to remain with their families. Some of the Flaming Fist was Infected, but most were driven from the city and scattered in the surrounding forests. Since the Invasion's end, the Flaming Fist have re-entered the city at the behest of its people. They are spread thinly and overworked. As a result, they welcome adventurers willing to help them or join their ranks. Knights of the Shield: A group of informants, invaluable in assisting the Flaming Fist as the city's law. Knights of the Shield will most often pose as merchants or nobles to gather information. Like the Flaming Fist, they were driven from the city during the Infected Invasion, though members of the Shield fared much better than their Fist counterparts. As a result, Knights of the Shield have retained their numbers, and can be hired by adventurers to gather information. Thieves' Guild: A once-thriving group of thieves hid below the city. Members posed as peasants and labourers and were hugely successful in the area of Bloomridge. They have been cut down twice, but are a resourceful group who will try to re-establish themselves so long as one survivor remains. '''Eternal Archivists: '''A guild based out of Neverwinter, the Eternal Archivists are devoted to the collection and accumulation of knowledge. They perform expeditions to different areas of Faerun, collecting all sorts of samples of plants, wildlife, and information from locals. There are two divisions to this faction: the first is the group dedicated to collecting knowledge and performing research and is mostly made of magic-users; the second is a group that accompanies the researchers to aid them as bodyguards and protectors and jacks-of-all-trade. Currently, they are investigating a disturbance at Mount Hotenow. Bestiary *Goblins: Small, green creatures that tend to raid small villages and generally annoy slightly larger ones. These small creatures can be found pretty much everywhere and loot, steal, pilage, and burn any place they think they can. Cowardly by nature, they tend to only attack when in large numbers or if their targets seems weak. Being far weaker than humans, they are only really dangerous in large numbers. *Orcs: While not all Orcs are not bloodthirsty savages bent of destruction, most out the wilds are. Standing a good foot taller than humans and packed with muscles, Orcs are more than a match for most humans in a straight up fight. However, their lack of intelligence and inability to use advanced technolgy makes them a less serious threat. Most Orcs tribes are nothing more than wandering bands of marauders, looting and burning any village they think they can. However, some have cast aside this part of their nature and, instead, work inside human villages and cities. *Gnolls: Unlike Orcs who can vary a bit, Gnolls are nearly all nothing more than bandits. Looking like dogs that walk on two legs, Gnolls are known for being brutally cruel and smelly. Thankfully, it is rare for them to be in large bands as their disagreeable temperment lends them to being poor leaders. *Bandits: Like anywhere humans go, there are some who make their living stealing it from others. Composed of any number of warriors, archers, mages, and others, bandit bands can be a single man or a massive group to rival a city's guard. Either way, they generally are not the most agreeable sort. *Dire animals: Whether mutated by magic or any other souce, dire animals are normal animals only nearly double in size. Exactly how dangerous the animal is depends on the animal in question. A dire dog is usually no more threatening than a normal dog (doubly so if you happen to have some bacon). A dire wolf on the other hand can be a threat even to well equipped soldiers. *Dragons: Does this really need an explaination? Their dragons, big giant lizards that sometimes breath fire, but can breath other stuff like acid, ice, etc... Also their really smart and tend to be either a bit bigger than human to huger than huge depending on its age and its type. Metallic dragons tend to be nicer(in that they will ask you to leave before trying to kill you) while the color dragons are more likely to kill you simply cause their bored. *Hydra: A massive, four-headed creature with snake heads that can pose a threat to an entire party of adventurers. They favor attacking with their heads, either drooling a highly corrosive neurotoxin that triggers short-term paralysis, headbutting, or even attempting to swallow a person whole. Their biggest boon, however, is the ability to regrow a destroyed head in short order. The only way to keep a hydra from regenerating a head is to sear the head's base. If you manage to get on the hydra's back, then melee fighters can attack it repeatedly, though you run the risk of being thrown off. *Sharkmen: Amphibious creatures that appear as if one gave a shark arms and legs. They possess rows of massive teeth, and shark fins on their back. These creatures seem to be able to use weapons ranging from swords to tridents. While they appear to heavily favor melee weapon, as well as using their razor sharp teeth, they can use ranged weapons as well. They are capable of pack tactics at the very least; however, they don't seem to get along with other races. *Golems: Where as most synthetics in the Multiverse are reliant on technology, golems have magic to thank for their existence. While golems are most popularly made of hard and durable materials, such as iron, clay, and of course stone, everything from flesh to magic itself can be used. Most golems have near impentrible magical defenses, making it difficult for a spellcaster to assail it. They tend not to be sentient. See also Icewind Dale External links Category:Locations Category:Celestial Eruption Worlds Category:Stub Category:Refreshing Wave Worlds Category:Lunar Flux Worlds Category:Arcana Cluster Category:Inner Ring